Georgia State Pilots Incident Response System

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 05/27/08

Georgia State University in Atlanta is piloting a new incident response system from Risk Mitigation Systems. FIRSTResponder provides planning and two-way voice, text, and e-mail communications response. When an incident or emergency occurs, FIRSTResponder's pre-defined command and control support plan is automatically triggered, directing the communications and actions of all parties responsible for resolving the incident. The system also includes workflow-enabled communications and recording capabilities to create an auditable record of the actions taken by participants.

"It takes more than a solid plan to be adequately prepared for the unexpected. It's the ability to quickly and effectively put that plan into action in a controlled manner that truly mitigates impact. The FIRSTResponder system offers a dynamic process by which to actually command an emergency incident and bridge the gap between all our communications tools," said Mike Raderstorf, director of emergency management at Georgia State. "With our pilot of FIRSTResponder, I'm confident Georgia State University will reach the upper echelon in emergency preparedness and become the standard for other universities to follow."

FIRSTResponder includes Virtual Guardian, which has three modules:

• Virtual Guardian Escort, a response and voice recording system that monitors the whereabouts of employees, faculty, and students. The user registers via phone informing the system that they will be traveling and of their specific destination. The system calls that user periodically to check on their status until the user turns the notification off. If no answer is received, the system launches an alarm, putting security into action to find the person.
• Virtual Guardian Roll Call, designed specifically for events, conferences, military deployments or evacuations, The program tracks organizations and their people using voice response and recording technology within a designated expiration period.
• Virtual Guardian Visitor, for large venues including stadiums, campuses and malls, offers guests the ability to temporarily sign-up for the venue's notification.